i just spoke with governor romney and i congratulated him and paul ryan on a hard-fought campaign. (applause) we may have battled fiercely, but it's only because we love this country deeply and we care so strongly about its future. >> reporter: before a cheering crowd of thousands in south chicago, president obama laid out an ambitious second-term agenda: deficit reduction, tax code reform, immigration reform, and energy independence. big goals that have inspired and divided the two parties for decades. >> we are not as divided as our politics suggest. we're not as cynical as the pundits believe. we are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. we are and forever will be the united states of america! >> reporter: but he acknowledged that this bruising campaign, with its billion-dollar barrage of negative ads had left hard feelings that he hoped to overcome. >> and whether i earned your vote or not, i have listened to you. i have learned from you. and you've made me a better president. and with your stories a